• Makau Ready for Record in Frankfurt

World marathon record holder Patrick Makau (2:03:38) departed for Frankfurt on Wednesday self-confident that he will triumph at the oldest marathon in Germany.

“I am in great shape. I have trained well. After missing out on the Olympics, I believe I am fresh to contest the title in Frankfurt.”

“The world record is a fast time and very hard to improve. But that will depend on the weather and other conditions including the group that I will be running together with. Cooperation is crucial if the record is to be broken,”
Makau told Xinhua in Nairobi.

Makau was set to run in Berlin two weeks ago, but his managing party could not seal a deal with the organizers before choosing to run in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt will be the eighth marathon in Makau’s entire career.

“I was disappointed for not making the Olympics. I can’t fault the selection criteria of Athletics Kenya, but they took so much for granted and were not keen on the small issues.”

“The Olympics are not like any other marathons, underdogs have their chances to claim the limelight and that is why Kenyans were surprised by the Ugandan in London. However a silver and bronze is not easy to get and we must be happy for that achievement,” said Makau.